Load-transferring device.



Patented May 2|, (am.

'r.-.s. MILLER.

'LOAITTRANSFERBING DEVICE.

(Application filed Apr. 2, 1900.)

2 Sheets-8heet I.

(No Model.)

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Patented May 2|, I90l.

T. S.-MILLER.

LOAD TRANSFERRING DEVICE.

(Application filed Apr. 2, 1000.)

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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an coir UNITED STATES PATENT OFFicE.

THOMAS SPENCER MILLER, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

LOAD-TRANSFERRING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,539, dated May 21, 190].

Application filed April 2, 1900- Serial No. 11,068. (No model.)

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Be it known that I, THOMAS SPENCER MIL- LER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of South Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Load-Transferring Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for transferring'loads from one point to another or for transferring them from one vehicle to another; and, broadly speaking, it consists of a trackway and transferring mechanism thereon in combination with a loadcarrier having a load-releasing device, said trackway being inclined relative to the load receiving and delivering points, so that the load-d elivering point is farther from the trackway than is the load-receiving point, the loadreleasing device being connected with the trackway-traveler and brought into action by a sufficient descent of the load.

My invention further consists of certain novel parts and combinations of parts, which Will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention embodied in the form at present preferred by me; but it will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made Without departing from the spirit of my invention and without exceeding the scope of the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an elevation showing my device in use for transferring cane or similar material from a wagon to a car. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the parts which immediately support the load. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the trip connection or hook by which one end of the slings is connected with the load-carrier, and Fig. 4 shows this block in its openedor released position.

It is often necessary to transfer material of various kinds from one point to another adjacent thereto, and it is desirable to be able to automatically dump the material being carried at one or more predetermined points. This result has heretofore been attained by using a trip or load releasing rope or by using a fixed stop to engage the trip. This result is attained in the invention herein illustrated by connecting the trip with the trackway traveler or carriage, so as to automatically release the trip when the load is lowered to a certain distance beneath the carriage, which may be called the tripping distance, and by arranging the trackway relative to the loading and releasing positions, so that in the loading position the load is nearer the carriage than this tripping distance and the load-receiver farther than this tripping distance.

I have herein shown the device as being in use for transferring cane from a wagon to a car; but it is obvious that the device may be used for transferring any kind of material, and I do not therefore Wish to be limited to its use for the particular purpose herein shown and described, said purpose being given simplyas an illustration of one of its uses.

My device is designed for use in connection with hoisting and conveying mechanisms of that character which are capable of raising the load at one point, conveying the same to another point, and there lowering it. The particular conveying mechanism used for producing the above operations is immaterial. I have herein illustrated a particular form of mechanism for securing the above result, but wish it understood that I do not limit myself to this form only, as any equivalent type may be employed instead. A form of hoisting and conveying mechanism adapted for this use is shown in my application, Serial No. 35,006, filed October 31, 1900.

The following is a description of the strucclined at such an angle that the weight of the load will prevent the carriage from moving upward upon the trackway While the load is being hoisted; but as soon as the load reaches its uppermost position or the further hoist of the load is prevented by a stop of any,kind the carriage will then be caused to travel up the incline. The carriage E has suitable wheels over which the hoisting-cable I passes and wheels E running upon the trackway B, and the carriage and trackway are provided with cooperating means by which the carriage may be made to remain stationary at predetermined points upon the trackway while the carrier is raised or lowered. In the construction illustrated stops b and F are shown over the loading and unloading positions. As this type of apparatus is well known in the art and is not herein specifically claimed, a detailed description thereof is not deemed necessary, especially as a full description of the mechanism herein indicated is given in my application before mentioned, in which such features are specifically claimed.

In Fig. l the carriage and the load-carrier suspended therefrom are shown in their leadreceiving position in full lines and in their unloading position by dotted lines. The carrier herein shownris particularly designed for handling cane, and consists of a frame D, having suspending-rods cl, to the upper ends of which the hoisting-cable maybe connected, either directly or by means of a pulley or pulleys in the frame e. From opposite sides of this frame chains or ropesddepend. These chains or ropes are provided at their lower ends with hooks adapted toreceive the slings K. One of these hooks d may be an ordinary hook, but is herein shown as a spring-hook, so that the end of the sling may not become readily detached therefrom. The other hook should be an automatic releasing-hook, and a hook of this character is shown in detail in Figs. 6 and 7. This consists of three members-the bars J, which are secured to the lower end of the chain d, the hook J which is pivoted to the lower ends of said bars, and the trigger or locking device J, which is pivoted between the upper ends of the bars J and is provided with a shoulder J adapted to engage one end of the hook member J and hold it in its locked position or the position shown in Fig. 6. To the trigger or locking plate J is attached a chain or cable h, by pulling upon which the hook will be released, so as to free the end of the sling attached thereto. The chain 71. is made alittle longer than the chain (1, which extends upwardly to the frame D. These chains are connected by any convenient device with the carriage E, such connection being of sufficient length that there will be a slight amount of slack when the device is attached to the load. The connection herein shown is of the chains 72/ with a bar H, which rests upon any convenient portion of the frame D. This bar is in turn connected by means of chains h with the carriage. It is evident that the 'chains h or such equivalents thereof as might be used might be connected directly with the carriage E, and in some cases this might be the preferred construction; but with the device illustrated the form of connection described is now preferred.

The length of the connections through the chains or ropes h and h between the hooks and the carriage is such that it is greater than the distance from the carriage to the releasing or trip hooks J in the loading position, while in the unloading position the load may be freely lowered a greater distance beneath the carriage than the length of these connections, whereby when the load has been lowered at the point Where it is to be discharged, as shown in dotted position at D in Fig. 1,the said chains will be tightened, so as to trip the hooks and release one end of the slings. The cane or other material being handled will then be automatically released.

The trackway is herein shown as being inclined, although it is evident that my inven tion may be operated upon a level trackway by supplying any means for returning the carriageas, forinstance, by a counterweight or a tail-ropeprovid ed the point to which the load is transferred is sufficiently beneath the point from which the load is taken to permit the adjustment of the devices in the manner described. If a transferring device is used which is capable of lowering the load at more than one point, then the load may be automatically delivered at as many points, if a sufficient lowering of the load is provided for. The proper working of the device is thus seen to depend upon the ability to lower farther at the delivery-point than is needed to attach to the load at the receiving-point.

This device is especially adapted to transfer such articles as cane from a wagon to a car or from the car to a carrier of any kind, by which it may be conveyed to the mills, for transferring cargo from boat to dock, or vice versa, and, in fact, to moving any material from one given point to another given point.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Aload-carrierforhoistingandconveying devices, comprising a frame, a series of removable slings, means for removably suspending the ends of said slings from the frame, the suspending means for one end of the slings containing a trip-releasing device, a bar normally carried by the frame and havinga normally slack connection with said tripreleasing devices, and a suspending connection with said bar which is slack in the loading position of the frame, substantially as described.

2. Aload-carrier for hoisting and conveying devices, comprising a frame, a series of slings, a series of manually-releasing devices for securing one end of said slings to the frame, a series of trip-releasable devices for securing the other ends of the slings to the frame, each comprising a pivoted hook-finger and a catch therefor adapted to drop into locking position, a bar normally supported by the frame,

normally slack connections from said bar to each catch, said bar being connected with the hoisting mechanism to be supported thereby when the frame is lowered to the releasingpoint for the load, substantially as described.

3. The combination with ahoisting and conveying device provided with mechanicallyoperated means for raising and lowering the load-carrier at two or more points, of a loadcarrier, slings adapted to be suspended from said carrier, a trip mechanism in the connection with one end of its sling and normally slack connections from said trips to the conveying mechanism adapted to be tightened to release the trips when the carrier is lowered to a certain distance, substantially as described. 4. In a hoisting and conveying device, the combination with a trackway, a carriage thereon, means for moving the carriage on the trackway and a hoisting-rope suspended from said carriage, of a load-supporting frame suspended from the hoisting rope, slings adapted to be connected with said frame and to support the load and having trip-joints or releasable connections therein, and trip-actuating members connected with the carriage and actuated by the descent of the load beyond a fixed distance from the carriage, substantially as described.

5. In a hoisting and conveying device, the combination with a trackway, a carriage, means for moving the carriage along the trackway,and a hoisting-rope suspended from said carriage, of a load-supporting frame suspended from the hoisting-rope, slings adapted to be connected with said frame and to support the load, detaching or trip hooks incorporated in said slings, and trip actuating members connected with the carriage and said detaching or trip hook actuated to release said hooks by the descent of the load scribed.

6. In a hoisting and conveying device, the combination with a frame, load-supporting slings adapted to be connected therewithand provided with trip-joints, of a hoisting-rope connected with the frame, a horizontallymovable guide for said hoist-rope and a connection between said trip joints and said guide for the hoisting-rope, whereby the load is'automatically released when lowered to a determined distance from said guide, substantially as described.

7. In a hoisting device, the combination with a hoist-rope, a guide therefor, means for moving said guide horizontally anda load engaging and carrying device supported by the hoist-rope and having a trip-joint or releasable connection with an extensible connection between said trip and guide and adapted to automatically release said trip-joint and discharge the load when lowered to a determined distance from said guide, substantially as described.

8. In a hoisting and conveying device the combination with a hoist-rope, and a horizontally-movable guide-support for said rope, of a load-carrier supported by the hoist-rope and having a trip device for releasing the load, and a trip-actuating member continuously connecting said trip and the movable rope-guide and operative by separation of said load-carrier and guide beyond a fixed distance.

THOMAS SPENCER MILLER.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. VINEING, CHAS. O. PIERCE. 

